timestamp: 2005.08.27 @ 18:03 UTC
sent by the unrepentant curmudgeon
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More questions
How does one pull together 20 different threads from 30 different sources in a coherent manner in this age of ADD and multiplying web links that lead down a quasi-random path that resembles Brownian Motion more than any directed pursuit of understanding?
I read on right-wing weblogs how the war in Iraq is one that is vitally important in the “War on Terror”, but I have yet to see any convincing evidence that Iraq or the former regime there had any significant relationship to any terrorist organizations, including al-Qaida, those who perpetrated the September 11, 2001 attacks; atrocities that in the hysteria of the aftermath resulted in the Bush administration havin almost a carte blanche to attack anyone who could be even remotely attached to that atrocity regardless of how tenuous the ostensible connection.
No corroboration of any real and substantive connection between the regime of Saddam Hussein and any terrorist groups has been shown, despite the frantic efforts of those warbloggers (distinct from milbloggers, those in the military who understand the nature of war and who did not cheerlead the chants for war in Iraq BEFORE the commencement of the conflict but refuse to “terminate the mission” before a positive outcome is achieved).
Now the party-line is not on WMD (formerly known as “Weapons of Mass Destruction”) but instead on “promoting democracy” in the Middle East (a policy seemingly not important enough to endorse the Clinton efforts towards the same goals in the Balkans…), and even more perniciously, in statements of “we cannot allow the sacrifices we have made so far to be in vain”.
I am repulsed by the “sacrifice” argument, and the cartoon below exhibits exactly why:
The arguments for the war have been changed far more often than we have rotated troops into and out of the theater of conflict.
All this tells us is that the case for war was not made on a reasonable, firm, logical foundation, and the American public is beginning to catch on.
However…
The decrease in numbers of those who support the President should not be regarded as a “victory” by anyone other than the enemies of our nation, for it is a loss to us all.
Following the “a picture is worth a thousand words” dictum, I can come up with no better commentary on the intellectual deficiency of the Democrats than this:
What next, then?
Far too many are taking joy in the recent polls showing a decrease in support for the President with respect to the conduct of the war in Iraq.
This is a case where all partisanship should be set aside.
Regardless of all the homilies, all the calls for accountability, for all the gut-wrenching reactions to the “we were misled” feelings, WE MUST FORGET HISTORY.
I hope this statement, coming from me, is a shock.
I have often written upon how the best way to avoid repeating history is to be aware of it; to understand what has happened before so we can circumvent the mistakes of the past.
Sometimes, however, history is recalled all too well.
If every past offense is recalled, if every former insult requires retribution, then there is no hope to avoid a war without end.
Sometimes, we must forget history in order to find a way to live together.
Recent attempts at analogies relating the history of the foreign interventions of the United States with past wars come to mind, and again, a drawing asks the most relevant question: Which outcome are you hoping for?
This goes beyond partisan politics, just as the Cold War went beyond simple domestic concerns.
Yet, we cannot deny our fundamental principles in defying our enemies.
It is indeed a delicate balance.
If we do not maintain it, however, how do we truly differentiate ourselves from what we claim to be fighting?
If it were easy, would it be worth fighting for?
Technorati Tags: commentary, left-wing politics, right-wing politics
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2 Comments so far
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[…] On my other weblog, Radio Saigon, I made an argument I plan to expand upon, an argument that may surprise some who have read me consistently over the past three years: […]
By Random Fate » You have to let go, if you want our nation to survive on 08.30.05 00:28
Why *those* pictures?
By Chrissy on 08.30.05 01:45
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